Date Posted: 5/8/2006

Macon, Ga. -- ETSU's Stephanie Gaynord (Manassas, Va./Marketing) and Stetson's Erica Demers (Miami, Fla./Health Science) were named Player and Pitcher of the Week today by the conference office.

Gaynord has earned back-to-back Player of the Week awards. In the Lady Bucs' sweep of Lipscomb, the junior shortstop hit .500, going 3-for-6, with four RBI's, three runs scored, two doubles and a home run. The two victories helped ETSU clinch the No. 5 seed in the A-Sun Tournament.

Demers picks up her fourth Pitcher of the Week nod after helping Stetson to a 4-0 week to clinch the 2006 Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title.

The freshman recorded a 0.50 ERA with a 2-0 record. She tossed 12 strikeouts and allowed just two extra-base hits in 14 innings of work.

Against North Florida Thursday evening, Demers allowed her only earned run of the week and struck out six batters in the Hatters' 5-1 victory. She then posted her 16th shutout of the season, sixth in A-Sun play, while allowing just four hits in Stetson's 3-0 win against Jacksonville.

With her two wins last week, Demers improved to a league-leading 24-4 on the season and 9-2 in conference games. Demers is the first Stetson player to earn Pitcher of the Week four times in one season. Kelli Lightner picked up the award three times during the 2001 season and Rhonda Kesslar won three times in 2000 for the Hatters.

Both Stetson and ETSU will head to Boca Raton, Fla., for the 2006 Atlantic Sun Softball Championship, held May 11-13 at the FAU Softball Complex.

Top-seeded Stetson will face No. 6 Gardner-Webb Thursday at 1 pm and No. 5 ETSU will take on No. 2 Florida Atlantic at 11 am.

The Atlantic Sun Conference announces the Player of the Week every Monday during the 2006 softball campaign.

The 11-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., consists of Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Florida Atlantic, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, North Florida and Stetson.

Other Top Performers

Mary Catherine Vercoe, ETSU (Fr. - P/1B - Signal Mountain, Tenn. - Biology) -- Vercoe pitched an 8-inning shut out against Lipscomb, scattering six hits against the Bisons, fanning three and walking two.

Jenna Lopez, FAU (Jr. - CF - Orangeburg, N.Y. - Elementary Education) -- Lopez went 5-of-11 with three runs and four RBIs, a double and a triple in 3-0 for FAU. She led the Owls in runs, RBIs and hits for the week.

Janine Palumbo, JU (Sr. - C - Clearwater, Fla. - Physical Education) -- Palumbo went 3-for-6 with a double and RBI in the Dolphins final doubleheader of the season against Stetson.

Sherrel Fountain, STET (Jr. - OF - Nassau, Bahamas - Marketing) -- Fountain led the Hatters at the plate last with a .467 average. The outfielder went 7-for-15 with four RBIs, three runs and two stolen bases while hitting successfully in all four games.